


Repair My Broken Heart

by CosmahCosmo



Series: Full House [5]
Category: Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Incredible Hulk - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Not technically an eating disorder but, possible triggers, somebody feeling insecure about their weight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-24
Updated: 2016-04-19
Packaged: 2018-05-28 21:34:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6346276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosmahCosmo/pseuds/CosmahCosmo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony finally goes in for his heart bypass surgery. This one event affects the lives of everybody in the Stark household.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day One

Tony leaned his head back against the foam wedge the doctors had placed under him and sighed.

He felt absolutely ridiculous laying across the bland white sheets in nothing but a blue johnny and a surgical cap.

Bruce and him sat in one of the hospitals many prep rooms, waiting for the anesthesiologist to inject him with the drugs that would banish his anxiety and leave him unconscious.

The two of them sat in an uncomfortable silence, left only with the intruding sounds of their own thoughts.

Tony was forced to stare up towards the blinding florescent lights and think if those lights would be the last thing he'd ever seen.

It would be painfully metaphorical if they were. People always talked about seeing the lights of heaven before passing on but, he would be forced to stare at the shining bulbs of reality.

When the anesthesiologist, a petite Asian women in a lab coat, finally entered the room and asked if he was ready. Tony closed his eyes and nodded, squeezing his lovers hand for what felt like the last time.

Bruce understood Tony's train of thought just like he always did and also remained silent as the nurse administered the anesthesia.

Tony felt a light kiss upon his forehead as his mind became fuzzy, as if somebody was attempting to change the channel and all they received in return was a grey static.

He deeply breathed and tried taking the doctors suggestion of counting backwards from ten to alleviate his mind.

_Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five...._

~•~

Bruce sat in the waiting room next to Pepper, Tony's CEO and best friend.  He rolled the cup of lukewarm coffee in between his palms like he was a chef flattening out dough.

He let his eyes wander around the waiting room and look at all that other room occupants.

A young couple sat near the front of the room, overjoyed with the excitement of their first child together.

An older man read a magazine as he waited to have his hip checked out for what seemed like the millionth time.

A little girl, around the age of his own daughters was snuggled into her mother's chest, sniffling and coughing from the flu public school had plagued on her.

A brother, silently sobbed at the news of his twins cancer diagnosis. His body shuttered with each inescapable thought of his brother dying. With each thought he could feel a piece of himself slip away, just like his twin would in the months to come.  
All of these people, both old and new, happy and sad, were in this room for an specific reason and Bruce was right there with them. He stared glassy eyes at the entrance to the ER, awaiting news from the surgeon, the one who held his husbands life in his hands.

Pepper stared at the laptop in front of her, not really reading what was on the screen. She was lost in her own mind, thinking of everything that would become if something were to go wrong.

Heart surgeries are always filled with so many complications and possibilities for failure, so many what ifs.

Right at this exact moment Tony laid, opened up and unconscious on the operating table, strangers deciding his fate. 

~•~

When Tony woke up the first emotion he experienced was fear, pure unadulterated fear.

Every breath he attempted to take led to his whole body lurching forward, struggling for air. 

His hands stretched and pushed against the restrains the hospital had placed him in, trying to yank the tube from forcibly opened mouth.

Tony felt a hand run across his hair and the low humming he quickly recognized as his husbands.

The man with the salt and pepper hair that was seated next to his bed, calming him down and giving him reassurances.

Bruces hand was gently gripping Tony's own and he could feel Bruce's thumb running along the back.

At the sight of Bruce, Tony let his body sink back and embrace the exhaustion he was feeling.

"The ventilators still in from the surgery. The doctor said they'd remove it in a couple of hours, just let it do the breathing for you."

He squeezed his hand in response and fluttered his eyes shut again.

Tony could feel each and every individual tube and wire that was penetrating or connect to him.

The small tube that went up his nose and to his stomach to relieve the nausea was the worst excluding the ventilator.

The I.Vs he could deal with, he had been subjected to the familiar pinching feeling before. The chest tube that went into his chest to drain the fluid, that was also manageable but, the godforsaken stomach tube, that was something he could live without.

"You know it's weird seeing you this silent." Bruce said, giving a barely audible chuckle. "Some days I wish that you would shut up and listen but, now that you are it feels so out of place."  

He could hear the tremble in Bruce's voice as he spoke, the deep pitch seemed even deeper.

"The bypass was a success thank god. I don't know what we would have done if it wasn't." Bruce continued. "The kids send their love, Pepper's with them now. Well she's with all of them excluding Peter.  He came here after school with Wade and refuses to leave until he can see you. I kept trying to tell him you don't look your best but, he insists anyways. I'll have to have Wade convince him to go home before it gets too late."

A mangled noise escaped Tony's throat as he tried to reply, his throat rejecting the action like West Burrow Baptist Church rejected the gays.

"No talking, remember?" He gave a small smile. "I should probably tell the doctor you're up."

Bruce stood up and let go of Tony's hand, sending a panic through the brunette on the bed.

"I'll be right back Tone, promise."

Tony watched Bruce make his way out of the room and immediately started awaiting his return.

This must have been what Bruce felt like when he went into surgery. Not knowing if your lover is coming back or not, feeling isolated and alone even though you know there are people there for you.

Except Tony knew Bruce was coming back despite his drug induced panic. His subconscious was still capable of making a rational decision on some level or another.

Bruce didn't know if Tony would be returning from the medical procedure, he was left sitting in the waiting room thinking about life and every decision he had and could possibly make. 

So as he waited for Bruce to come back with his designated doctor, he was stuck waiting in his ICU room alone, restlessly tapping the beat to some ACDC song with what little movement his hand could do.

"Ah Mr. Stark, it's good to see you awake." The doctor, Doctor Lewinsky to be more precise, said.

He walked over to the numerous machines Tony was connected to and started to check each one as he rattled off different medical facts that Tony could care less about.

All that mattered to him was that the surgery was successful. Besides, Bruce was more then happy to mentally jot down all the information the doctor was throwing at them. Tony was too mentally and physically tired to pay the doctor too much attention.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as he felt his arm restraints being undone.

"I'll trust that you'll keep the ventilator where it is for the time being." Doctor Lewinsky told him.

Tony gave him two thumbs up that caused Bruce to grin.

"It's nice to see that your humors still intact." Bruce said, sitting back down into his chair next to the bed as the doctor made his way to the door.

"I'll be back later to check on you. Hopefully we will be able to remove the ventilator." The doctor said, sporting an optimistic smile and exiting the room.

"I've got a notebook if you feel like talking." Bruce told him. "I know it's a horrid movie cliche but, this whole situation feels like it could be too."

Tony nodded his head at Bruce's idea and winced at the uncomfortable feeling in his throat. 

Bruce got up and made his way over to his old brown messenger bag. The leather was worn down from years of use and the strap had been repaired more times then he could remember.

Although Tony had attempted to convince Bruce to replace it time and time again, he still refused. That bag had been apart of Bruce for longer then Tony had known him. The bag had survived three almost four different presidents and copious amounts of national events.

After over twenty-six years of use the bag was still apart of Bruce. It was something most of the people at Stark Industries could easily identify as Bruce. That old clump of fabric had left an indelible mark on Bruce's life.

Bruce pulled out a sleek black spiral notebook and flipped through it looking for a blank page. 

When he had finally stumbled across one,  he took out a black ballpoint pen from one of the side pockets and handed it to Tony along with the notebook.

Tony happily accepted the items and quickly glided the pen across the page, eager to communicate with his partner.

_Looks like you took my breath away Brucie._

Tony gave a small gesture to the ventilator lodged down his throat. If he could, he would most likely be grinning from ear to ear.

"I take back the thing about the notebook being cliche. It's not the notebook, it's you."

_You mentioned something about Peter earlier?_

Bruce shook his head at Tony's sudden change of subject. He had luckily grown use to his husbands shenanigans.

"He's in the waiting room with Wade. I tried to send him home but, he won't budge. Its not like I can get mad at him for being concerned given the circumstance."

_It's probably not the best idea for him to visit right now, it'd scar him for life._

Bruce nodded in agreement. "I don't know what to do. I've already tried everything I could think of, I even had Pepper try to remove him. Peters stubborn like you."

Tony paused and thought for a moment, giving his brain a second to process the situation and formulate a solution. Every problem has a solution, they just needed to think.

As soon as an idea dawned on him he scrawled across the paper. 

_What if I wrote a note? It would show that everything's okay while still preventing him from seeing me hooked up like I'm one of Frankensteins monsters._

"That could work." Bruce replied, thinking of the different outcomes. It was one of the many habits you picked up from years of working in a lab.

Tony flipped the page to a new one and started working on a short letter to his only son, mentally grinning at his award winning idea.

~•~

"

Before you ask, no you can't see him right now." Bruce said, walking up to his son in the waiting room.

At the sound of his Pops voice, Peter straightened up from his previous slouching position.

"However," Bruce continued. "I do have a message for you."

He held out the folded up letter to his son and smiled as Peter quickly snatched it from his grip.

Peter unfolded the paper, being careful not to rip it and began reading what he could easily identify as his Dads handwriting, only a tad bit sloppier.

_To my beloved Peter,_  
_It is obvious that my time has come and it's okay,  I accept that. It's been a honor raising you into the thoughtful young man you are today. Take care of your Papa and sisters, you're the man of the house now.....I'm kidding! I wish I could see the look on your face right now, I bet it's priceless. I'm doing fine, the surgery went as planned (like your Pops already told you) and I'm on the road to recovery. I know you want to come up here and visit, I would too if the roles were reversed but trust me, the ICU is no place for a teenage boy. I've got so many wires and tubes in me right now I look a lab experiment. It's not a pretty sight and it's kind of embarrassing so, that's why you need to go home and help Pepper with your sisters. I'll see you tomorrow, cross my heart (see what I did there). Love you Petey!_

_Xoxo Tony Stark... Your Dad_

Peter grinned at the note and folded it back up, shoving it into his coat pocket.

"Is Dad really embarrassed? I don't think I've ever heard of him being embarrassed before." He asked Bruce.

"Well if that's what he wrote then I guess he is. It happens to the best of us, he'll get over it. The important thing is that you should be going home."

"You guys planned this out, didn't you?"

"I had nothing to do with this." Bruce said, raising his hands in defense.  "Now go home. I should be back later tonight."

"You're not staying with Dad tonight?"

"I can't. The ICU has strict visiting hours plus, I wouldn't want to subject your Aunt Pepper to you guys all night."

"You heard the guy Pete, he'll be home later. Let's get you home." Wade said, standing up and stretching. He had been stuck in that chair for what seemed like a lifetime.

Peter sighed and nodded. "Yeah, we should go. We've got that test this week..." He stood up next to Wade and also, stretched his limbs a bit. "I'll see you later Papa."

Bruce gave his son a hug and Wade a quick, appreciative grin. "I'll see you later. Love you."

"Love you too." Peter gave a small smile before following Wade out of the hospital.

Bruce watched them both leave and let out a deep breath once they both had exited.

He honestly wasn't expecting Tony's plan to work. The man was known for having questionable ideas but, they always seemed to work out in the end. That was one of the many defining characteristics Bruce loved about him.

~•~

Tony gripped Bruce's hand as the doctor grabbed the tube.

"Just try to relax Mr. Stark. This should be over shortly."

The doctor started the slow and agonizing process of removing the ventilator tube from Tony's throat, causing him to periodically cough and sputter. 

Bruce winced at the sight of it. He knew that in the end it would help Tony, he didn't need the ventilator anymore. He also knew it was for the best, he could tell that the tube made Tony both physically and emotionally uncomfortable.  Sometimes you have to deal with the rain so you can get the rainbow. This was one of those times.

So he dealt with it and Tony did too. 

Once the doctors had successfully removed the tube, Bruce gave a sigh of relief. Tony probably would have too if he wasn't so focused on breathing. 

"Hey..."

He could hear the raspy mess that was his husbands voice. It was deep and pained, as if somebody had been gripping his throat in a fight.

In a way that was what had happened. The tube did practically attack his body, penetrated his open mouth and he was in a fight, with his own health.

Still, the sound that escaped Tony's opened mouth sounded the complete opposite of his usually composed partner, but it was still recognizable. He could still identify it, it was oddly familiar  yet, it sounded like nothing he'd ever heard of.

"Hello again." Bruce replied, sporting a gentle smile.

"I want to speak to the kids."

"You just got the ventilator removed, why don't you give it a bit."

"Your husband's right Mr. Stark. I'd suggest remaining quiet for a little longer to give your throat time to heal." Doctor Lewinsky told him whilst writing down various medical details on his chart.  
Tony looked at Bruce, who gave him a tiny nod.

"Fine I'll wait a minu-" Tony was cut off by a coughing fit.

Bruce rubbed his arm, trying to help him through it. Of course it was pointless, a rub on the arm wouldn't help his husbands dry and scratchy throat.

"Am I at least allowed to have some water?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Stark but, with the stomach tube in still that is not the best idea. We'd like to start you on clear liquids tomorrow."

Tony huffed and leaned his head further back into the mattress, letting it envelop him.

"I'll leave you both to your own devices. A nurse will come to check your vitals and adjust your medication later."

Tony stayed quiet and slumped as the doctor exited the room. He turned towards Bruce and gave him a smile.

"Rest your vocals for a while, it should help with the discomfort." Bruce told him.

"Oh, so you're a doctor now?" Tony cheekily responded.

"I've been a doctor for 14 years hun. I'm just not that kind of doctor."

"Oh I forgot. I have the privilege to be married to the incredibly sexy hunk that is Doctor Robert Bruce Stark."

"I wouldn't use hunk to describe myself. I'd say I'm more hulking."

"And why would you say that?" Tony asked.

"I'm big and I'm clumsy Tony."

"Clumsy I can see but, big?"

Bruce sighed and ran his finger through his greying curls. He knew exactly where this conversation was going to go, it was inevitable.

"I've gained thirteen pounds since Sophia was born...." Bruce admitted.

Tony grabbed Bruce's hands and looked straight into his extraordinary brown eyes.

Eyes that had cried after emotional or physical abuse from his father. Eyes that had slowly started to dim at each deprecating remark his peers would throw his way. Eyes that had witnessed domestic abuse, harassment, break downs, and eventually murder.

Tony had seen a few pictures of Bruce's mother Rebecca and he knew that Bruce had his mother's eyes. Sometimes bright, sometimes gloomy, other times filled with rage. Still, they were his mother's eyes.

When Tony stared into his eyes, he immediately recognized the shame and the pain that was currently embedded into them.

Bruce was chunkier then most of his fellow students throughout middle school and some of high school.

He worked hard to shed the excess pounds and steady his weight at average.  For a while he would jog and sometimes attempt to work with weights. Once Peter came into the picture he switched to yoga.

After the twins were born he still managed to find some forms of exercise to participate in but, raising Sophia proved to be different.

With Tony and his busy schedules he couldn't squeeze in the time for exercise and with the company up and thriving he found himself working in more sedentary environments such as one of the offices or the lab.

It didn't help that Tony was experiencing all of these health issues so the amount of stress in his life had doubled, causing his own health to decline and his body weight to slowly begin climbing upward.

"Bruce you have nothing to worry about, you look as gorgeous as ever. Besides, remember when Becky and Maria were born? I gained some weight then. It is completely normal. Just the perks of being a Dad."

"Yeah but, we were younger then Tony. It was easy for you to loose the weight. Now our metabolisms and stamina have lowered and-" Bruce stopped and took a deep breath. "We shouldn't be talking about this right now, you need to rest your throat."

Tony rolled his eyes and grabbed the notebook from the side of the bed, quickly scribbling down something.

_TALK TO ME BRUCE._

"There is nothing to say...I've gained weight and it's honestly just gross."

_What did you tell me when I gained that extra twenty or so pounds when the twins were infants? When the tabloids were having a field day with those articles?_

"I don't know Tony that was years ago!"

Bruce leaned his elbows onto the edge of Tony's bed, placing his head in his hands. 

Of coarse Bruce remembered that situation. How could he forget?  He had seen copious amounts of articles discussing Tony's physical appearance.

That was back when Peter was younger, still in middle school.  Tony and him got into an argument about his declining history grade and out of anger and spite Peter mentioned Tony's recent weight change.

That was the part that got Tony the most, his son even commenting on his weight.

Bruce and him had a long talk about his current predicament and approached it from both a scientific view point and a personal one. In the end they had both agreed on an exercise plan and schedule changed that would help over come the obstacle.

Tony slid the notebook in between Bruce's elbows and raised his eyebrows.

_You know what you said. C'mon Brucie._

Bruce looked up towards Tony and quietly spoke. "I said that I love you and that nothing was going to change that."

Sure it was cliche but, it was the truth. Bruce had told him that and he meant every single word of it.

Tony was one of the six things he loved most in the world, tied with his four beautiful kids and science.

He was so invested in Tony, so madly in love that nothing could ever drive him away. 

_Exactly and the same goes for me too._

~•~

Pepper scrambled around the kitchen in her attempt to make a decent dinner.

A nice home cooked meal was just what the kids needed to feel the sense of normalcy they were desperately seeking. Bruce wouldn't object to a pre-made dinner when he returned either.

The baby, Sophia, was lounging in her high chair, staring at Pepper like she was a mad women.

 _"Ms. Potts, Sir is on the line. Shall I patch him through?"_ JARVIS' voice echoed throughout the kitchen.b

"Oh yeah, put him on." She replied, stirring some sauce. Once she heard the sounds of the phone call, she stopped stirring and smiled. "Bruce is that you?"

"No it's Tony, but it's nice to know that you pick favorites." Tony's greeted.

His voice was noticeably off, but Pepper could care less, she was just so relieved to hear him speak.

"How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?"

"Honestly I'm on more drugs then Charlie Sheen right now, I can't feel a thing. Ask me again tomorrow though."

"I'm just so happy your okay."

"Wait, were you actually worried about your sickly boss? Do you care?"

Pepper heard a few coughs on the other line and somebody, most likely Bruce, mumbling reassurances.

"Listen did you call just to harass me?"

"I called to talk to my kids. Are they around?"

"Sophia's out here with me and I think the rest are in the living room." Pepper replied. "Let me go check."

While Pepper went out to wrangle the other children, Tony took the opportunity to talk to his youngest.

"Hey baby girl, it's Daddy. I know you're still not talking yet so why don't you just listen." Tony said. "I just thought maybe you'd like to hear my voice because, your Papa says that's what those hippie dippy baby books say."

There was a pause as Bruce corrected Tony and explained yet again the importance of the parenting books and how they show different methods and perspectives.

"We've raised three babies before this one, we don't need the books."

Another pause was added as Bruce expertly rebuddled Tony's argument. The soft murmurings of Bruce's voice filling the kitchen.

Before Tony could even think of arguing, two children scampered into the room.

"Daddy!"

"Hey girls. You guys behaving for Aunt Pepper?"

"Yes!" Both Rebecca and Maria answered in unison.

"Can you help me with my homework when you get home?" Maria asked, sweetly.

"I'm not going to be home for a couple of days but, I'm sure Aunt Pepper will be more then willing to help." Tony replied.

"I don't want Auntie Pepper, I want you!"

"What if Papa heads home early and helps you?"

"And Peter... Peter said he needed help too."

"And Peter." Tony confirmed. "Papa will be home shortly but, for now you guys need to eat dinner and get ready for bed. Maybe if you listen Aunt Paper will have JARVIS put on Wreck it Ralph."

"Okay fine..." Rebecca muttered.

"Good, I'll let you guys eat now. I love you and I'll talk to you shortly."

Maria whimpered, as her eyes began to get misty. "Love you too Daddy...."

"Love you Daddy." Rebecca chimed in.

"Okay, listen to Aunt Pepper. I'll see you soon."

The line went dead when Tony hung up the phone.

Both of the twins started to drag their feet upstairs to get ready for bed. Maria roughly wiping away start tears as they went along.

"JARVIS can you tell Peter that dinners almost ready." Pepper asked the AI.

"Of coarse Ms. Potts." He replied, leaving Pepper to finish preparing dinner.

~•~

Bruce stepped into the dimly lit house and slowly slipped off his loafers. He hung his coat on the rack and noted that his coat was the only one on it. He'd probably find the jackets of his children thrown randomly about the house.

As Bruce was making his way towards the kitchen, he noticed his two twin girls nestled onto the couch, covered in a large red duvet.

He smiled fondly to himself and walked into the kitchen,

Pepper sat at the table surrounded by her laptop an random papers. Her eyes scanned the screen in front of her, only looking away to jot down quick notes onto her legal pad.

"There's some spaghetti in the microwave for you." Pepper said, looking up from her work.

"I'm not really that hungry now but, I'll definitely keep that in mind for later." Bruce walked over to the large metallic refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water.

"How's Tony doing?"

Bruce could see the concern shining from Peppers eyes and it reassured him. He knew that somebody cared about Tony's well being just as much as he did.

He took a few sips from the bottle before answering her question. "He's doing fine now, everything went according to plan. He fell asleep a little before I left. He'll probably be in some discomfort tomorrow but, that's to be expected."

"That's great. I was worried that something was going to happen."  
"Everything should be fine as long as he doesn't develop an infection and he actually listens to the doctors at home recovery instructions when they discharge him in a couple of days."

"When will he be home?" Pepper asked, trying to get all of the details so she could arrange Tony's work schedule.

"He'll be in the ICU for another day and then the ER for a few more after that so hopefully he'll be out by Friday afternoon."

"The kids will like that." Pepper said, smiling.

"Yeah, they'll be ecstatic that he'll be home by the weekend." Bruce agreed, giving a small nod in confirmation.

He placed his water bottle onto the smooth marble of the counter top and made his way towards the living room. He paused in front of the exit of the kitchen and turned towards Pepper.

"I'm going to bring the girls into their room and head on up to bed. You're more then welcome to stay the night if you'd like, the guest rooms always open to you."

"No I should be heading home. I have plants that need water and a cat that needs food" Paper replied, getting up and starting to collect all of her papers off of the table. "Oh, Maria never finished her homework though. They fell asleep before you got here."

"I'll write a note for her teacher explaining the situation."

Bruce walked over to Pepper and gave her a light one armed hug. It wasn't overlay dramatic or ridiculously close like Tony's were but, Bruce wasn't the kid of person who often invaded people's personal space.

"Thank you Pepper. This really means a lot."

"Anytime, I'll help however I can. You should really get some rest though, you look exhausted. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Paper told him, quickly returning the small embrace.

Bruce nodded and let out a yawn. He walked into the living room and slowly pulled the duvet off of his sleeping daughters making it easier for him to pick them up.

He started with Rebecca, scooping her up into his arms and heading towards the stairs. He slowly climbed up them, being careful to not disturb the slumbering girl in his arms.

She looked so peaceful sleeping, even with all of the craziness happening around her. It just goes to show how helpful it can be for the human body to get an adequate amount of rest.

A sleeping child is one of the most innocent things in the world. Bruce sometimes liked to think that a sleeping child was the best kind of child but, of coarse that would be wrong.

He loved how energetic and happy his kids could be although sometimes it could be a hassle.

Bruce loved that Tony and himself had raised their children in an environment where they could genuinely feel happy and express themselves.  It was something he craved as a child and something he felt was needed for the growth and prosperity of his kids.

He laid Rebecca onto her bed and pulled her comforter over her before, heading back down the stairs to get his other daughter. 

He picked Maria up, making yet another arduous journey up the stairs and into the twins room. Honestly, he was beginning to get a tad to old for this.

At least that's what it felt like that night. Bruce's muscles ached and his whole body was riddled with exhaustion. He just wanted to flop down onto his bed and sleep for an eternity.

Bruce placed Maria down onto her bed and pulled up the covers, tucking her feet in exactly how she liked it. 

Her feet usually got cold in the middle of the night, even with socks. That's why it was her Papas job to make sure her feet were snuggled into the covers for maximum warmth absorbing.

Bruce tip toed out of the room, leaving the door open a crack.

He walked over to Peters room and lightly tapped his knuckles across the wooden door.

When he heard the low response of his son, he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Hey Pops." Peter greeted, not looking up from his laptop.

"Hey Pete." Bruce replied, leaning against the door frame. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just editing a picture for the school newspaper. Headline, small town teacher sex scandal."

"Is that an appropriate topic for a highschool newspaper?"

"Is it appropriate for the French teacher to be buying prostitutes?"  
"Valid point." Bruce agreed. "Just try not to get into any trouble. I know how badly you want to write about hard and pressing subjects but, just keep your audience in mind."

"Will do Pops....How's Dad doing?"

"He's perfectly fine. You'll be able to see him once they transfer him out of the ICU the day after tomorrow."

Peter smiled at that news and looked away from the work on his laptop. Once he saw Bruce's tired features his smile faltered.

"Papa..." He started. "Maybe you should go to bed. It's been a long day."

"I am. I just wanted to check on you first. Maria said you needed help with some homework?"

"No, I just told her that so she would actually ask for help"

"I see." Bruce straightened away from the door frame. "Well I'm going to call it a night. I love you spiderkid"

"Spiderkid? You haven't called me that since elementary school..."

"You're right." Bruce agreed. "I guess I was feeling a little nostalgic."

Peter grinned. "I love you too Pops. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Lights out by eleven." Bruce added before, making his way down the hallway once more.

He made a quick stop into the nursery to check on the sleeping infant inside.

When he felt like she was safe enough, Bruce went to Tony and his room. 

He sighed at the unusual emptiness. By now Tony would be lounged onto the bed, looking over the blueprints of a project he had been doing in the garage. 

Bruce would crawl in next to him and grab a book from the bed side table.

They would sit in a peaceful silence for a few minutes before Tony put his project aside and moved closer to Bruce.

Tony would nuzzle up against his side and peck the crook of his neck with kisses until he had gained Bruce's full attention.

Bruce wanted more then anything for Tony to be doing that right now but, it sadly wasn't a possibility.

So after he put on a pair of pajamas and took off his glasses, he was forced to climb into the big empty bed and fall asleep alone.

 


	2. Day Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce and Tony chat some more and the kids come to visit. 
> 
> (Short filler chapter)

"Holy hell, what happened to you Bruce?"

"Don't." Bruce said simply, entering Tony's hospital room.

He tossed his messenger bag onto a chair in the corner of the room and dragged his feet over to the chair next to Tony bed, sitting down it.

"You look exhausted." Tony told him, he took a bite of the jello he had been eating and looked Bruce over.

It was true, his husband did look haggard. The dark circles under his eyes seemed more prominent and his overall appearance was disheveled.

"Our daughters teeth picked the damnedest time to start coming in."

"Sophia's teething already?"

Bruce nodded in response. "She was up all night crying despite the teething rings."

"Did you try ibuprofen?"

"Yes and I tried adding pressure to her gums. It wasn't doing the trick."

Tony held up his spoon of jello towards Bruce. "Would jello make you feel better?" He asked.

"No, I'm not hungry. Besides, jello can't solve all of the world's problems." Bruce said with a small smile.

Tony smiled back and beckoned Bruce to come closer. "Come here."

Bruce sat on the edge of his chair so he would be closer to Tony's bed. Tony pulled Bruce up to him so the scientist was leaned over and pressed against his chest.

He thoughtfully ran his fingers through Bruce's curls, humming Nirvana as he did. 

"I know what you're trying to do Tony." Bruce told him.

"And what exactly is that?" Tony asked him, trying to sound innocent.

"You're trying to make me fall asleep but, that's not going to happen. We have to much to do today."

"What on earth could be more important then you taking a well deserved nap?"

"Climate change." Bruce informed him. "We have a deadline on the newest clean and renewable energy propositions."

"Global warmings been happening for a while now, a couple of more hours of it won't hurt anybody." Tony told him.

Bruce pushed Tony's hands away and sat up.

"Tony we need to finalize the plans before, I have to pick up the kids from school."

"Have Happy do it..."

"I promised Maria this morning that I would _personally_ pick them up and bring them to see you today. They haven't seen you in almost four days Tony."

Tony stayed quiet for a moment before, letting out a sigh. "I miss them."

"I know you do... We miss having you around the house. This morning Rebecca said she missed your gross waffles."

"Really?" Tony asked, chuckling.

"Really." Bruce said before adding. "I can't wait for you to come home. Everything's just been so hectic without you there."

"I know...Things are definitely taking their toll on you."

"Do I really look that bad?"

"You've definitely seen better days, that's for sure."

Bruce groaned and slumped back into his chair again.

"You still look absolutely ravishing to me though."

"Can we just look over the plans?"

"All work and no play-"

Bruce quickly cut him off, getting up and walking over towards his messenger bag. "Will help us finish this by the deadline."

Bruce walked back to his chair and sat down. He began rummaging through his bag until he produced a bright green folder.

Tony quickly snatched it from him, smirking. "Well let's get down to business then."

He opened up the folder with an over exaggerated aura of sophistication and peered inside.

"What's this?"

Bruce scrunched his eyebrows together and looked over at the opened folder. "One of the kids must of put it there..."

Tony let out a hearty laugh and pulled out the drawing for a better examination.

 

"The twins have impeccable art skills for their age. Steve must be rubbing off on them." Tony said.

"I've never seen them draw something like this though.... What is it?" Bruce said. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"I _think_ it's an alien or a robot but, don't quote me on it."

Tony placed the drawing on the side table next to his hospital bed and grinned proudly.

His girls were so advanced for their age that sometimes it worried him.

Sure, being smart isn't necessarily a flaw but, it has put a damper on their social skills more then once.

Especially Maria. Sometimes, the small brunette preferred to read during playtime rather then talk to her peers. 

Rebecca didn't have that problem. She found a perfect balance between study and play that didn't off put the other kids.

In retrospect, Maria took after Bruce and Rebecca took after himself.

Maria developed Bruce's introverted personality at a very young age where, Becky felt the need to have others constantly around her whether it be a friend, her siblings, or one of her parents. She despised being alone.

Tony looked over towards Bruce who was already getting right into the work.  He was looking over a few documents with an extreme amount of focus. 

"I love you."

Bruce hummed in response, not really listening to what his husband was saying.

"Bruce, did you hear me?"

He looked up from his papers and raised his eyebrows. "What hun?"

"I said I love you."

"I love you too."

~•~

Tony looked up to see three out of four of his children burst through the door, the fourth one being carried by his husband behind him. 

"Daddy!" Rebecca squealed, running over to Tony.  Maria was quick to following,  making it up to his hospital bed in record time.

"Girls, inside voices." Bruce reminded them. 

"Sorry Papa." Maria whispered, giggling to herself.

Bruce just smiled in response and adjusted Sophia on his hip. 

"Daddy, we played red light, green light at recess today and I won!" Rebecca stated proudly.

"Good job kiddo." Tony said, ruffling her hair. "What about you Maria?"

"I read a book about a caterpillar!" She told him, grinning.

"Sounds like lots of fun."

Maria nodded in agreement. "We did arts and crafts today too and I painted a picture of JARVIS!"

"JARVIS? What does JARVIS look like sweetie?"

"She didn't actually draw JARVIS. She painted a picture of a guy and said it was JARVIS, but that can't be true because JARVIS is a computer." Rebecca chimed in.

"Well JARVIS was named after a very close friend of mine so, Maria was spot on."

Maria gleamed at that statement. "It's at school still because, it had to dry, but I can give it to you tomorrow!"

"Well I can't wait to see it. If it's anything like the one you slipped in Papas folder today then it should be amazing."

The two girls turned to each other, both of them sporting matching quizzical expressions.

"We didn't touch Papas folder." Rebecca said, looking confused.

"That's got adult stuff in." Maria told him.

Tony looked towards Bruce who was as equally befuddled as he was. "You two didn't draw the picture?"

They both quickly shook their heads no.

"That was actually me.... Hey Dad."  Peter said. He looked down towards the floor, sheepishly.

"That was you?" Tony asked in disbelief.

"Yeah." Peter admitted.

Tony burst out into a fit of laughter. He turned to Bruce and pointed towards the picture. "Peter drew it!" He continued to laugh as he directed his attention to Peter. "What was it supposed to be?"

"Remember when I was a kid and you had to go on business trips so, you'd tell me you were a part time super hero and you needed to go out and save the world? You named him after that Black Sabbath song, Iron Man."

"That's Iron Man?! Bud, you know we support anything and everything you do but, if I was you I'd stick to photography and not art."

"I'm not some super book illustrator like Steve is! Pops just mentioned Spiderkid a couple of days ago and I thought drawing you as Iron Man would lift up your spirits."

"Daddy's a superhero?!" Maria queried, jumping up and down.

"No sweet pea he's not-" Bruce started but, was quickly cut off.

"Yes, I am Iron Man." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this quick filler chapter! I needed this in not only to show Bruce's stress but also, to establish something for the next part of the series I'm putting in! 
> 
> COMMENT ANY SUGGESTIONS, CONCERNS, PROMPTS, ETC.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony finds out about the pressure and stress Bruce has been under lately. Angst and fluff ensues.

"Easy. Don't stress yourself..."

Tony heaved himself out of the wheelchair the hospital required him to exit in.

Bruce stood behind him, placing a hand on his back in worry.

"Really Bruce, you're going to talk about not stressing?" Tony said, raising an eyebrow.

Bruce paused and adjusted his glasses on his face. "Just try to take it easy. _Please_."

"Well if you're going to beg-"

Tony carefully made his way into the passenger seat of their car, making a big show of gently sitting down.

"I'm not begging for my sake. We have four children..."

"Who have been doing fantastic with their Papa for the past week."

"No, they haven't Tony. They hated it!"

Tony paused and looked at him. "Do you really believe that?"

"No- Yes- Well maybe I do but, I have a good reason. The kids were absolutely miserable, _I was absolutely miserable_. If you ever get sick again, I'll kill you."

"You won't kill me."

"...you're right I won't....But, I will rip my hair out!"

Bruce shut Tony's door and walked over to the drivers side, getting in.

"Why do you always insist to drive yourself when we can have people do it?"

"I am more then capable of driving."

"You amaze me."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Bruce said, backing out of the parking lot and turning his attention to the road.

"You should. So, Steve's at the house?"

"Yeah, Bucky and him offered to watch the kids while I went to get you."

"That was nice of them. Remind me to ask them about us watching Grace while they go out."

"Will do."

They drove in silence for a while, Bruce trying to focus his attention on the road. However, that was proving to be difficult.

Everything was difficult lately. A couple of times Bruce really thought he was on the verge of snapping at everybody and locking himself away but, he has responsibilities and obligations that wouldn't allow him to do that. 

Bruce just needed to keep his head up and stay calm. Tony was coming home, perfectly healthy, and the sun was starting to come out behind the clouds.  Things were going to turn around for the better, he just needed to wait it through. 

"Bruce..." Tony turned to look at him with concerned eyes. "Are you okay? I know things have been hard lately."

"I'm fine."

"Just fine?"

Bruce groaned and tightened his grip on the steering wheel.  "I'm doing great...."

"Really because, we've been sitting in the driveway for five minutes."

He looked up and yes, they were in fact in the driveway. 

"I just wanted to look at the house for a while."

Tony rolled his eyes and opened the door, stepping out of the vehicle.

Bruce followed him into the house, making sure that he didn't fall or stumble.

As soon as they opened the door they were both greeted by the smiling faces of four kids, three of their own and one of Steves.

Steve and Bucky were right behind them, Steve holding Sophia.

Bruce walked over and retrieved his youngest daughter back from Steve.

"I want another one..." Steve said, still cooing at Sophia in Bruces arms.

"You might want to tell your husband that." Bruce told him, letting out a chuckle.

Steve nodded and grinned.

"Daddy!" The girls yelled, hugging Tony's legs.

Tony crouched down so he could be at eye level with the twins. He tightly embraced them and smiled. "Hey girls!"

"You were gone for ages!" Rebecca exclaimed, juggling him tighter.

"It was only a week. I've gone on business trips longer then that."

"It's not the same."

"She's right Dad, it's totally not the same." Peter piped up.

Tony stood and hugged Peter giving him a couple pats on the back.

He pulled back and smiled at him. "I hope you all were listening to your Papa while I was gone." He said, looking at all of his kids.    
Peter, Rebecca, and Maria all looked at each other guilty.

"We'll talk about this later." Tony said, giving them all a pointed stare. "Go throw on some pajamas and pick out a movie. Papa and I will be there in a minute."

They all nodded and made their way out of the room to go get changed.

Tony walked over to Bruce and grabbed Sophia from him, placing her on his hip. "I've got her. Can you go start the popcorn?"

Bruce nodded and turned towards Steve and Bucky. "Thanks again for watching the kids, let us know if you ever need a babysitter for Grace."

"Yeah, maybe you guys need some _adult_ time." Tony said, looking at both of the men and then at their daughter.

"We might take you up on that offer in a couple of weeks." Bucky said, chuckling.

Steves face turned bright red. "C'mon, let them have some family time."

Bucky grabbed Grace's hand and made his way to the door, giving Tony one last grin. "It's nice seeing you back on your feet Tony."

"Thanks Buck." Tony said, watching him exit. 

Steve stayed in the room and turned towards Tony. "Hey is Bruce okay?"

"Why? What's going on?" Tony asked, scrunching his brow.

"Nothing, just Peter mentioned how Bruce has been- off- lately."

"He's probably just tired. He'll be out like a light before the movie even starts." Tony said, laughing. "Thanks again for watching the kids."

"No problem, call us if you need anything else." Steve said, walking out the door and closing it behind him.

Tony turned and started making his way towards the kitchen, talking to Sophia. "Well, it looks like you've been keeping your Papa up lately, huh?"

He leaned down and kissed the top of her forehead smiling.

"You should be sitting down." Bruce remarked, his back turned away from him.

"I will in a second. I just wanted to see you."

"Well you've seen me. Now you can go sit down in the living room and relax."

"Bruce, I'm fine. A couple of minutes of standing won't kill me."

"Tony!" Bruce snapped, turning back at him. "You just got back from the hospital, the doctor said to rest so, _rest please_."

Tony stared at Bruce in silence before, making his way to the living room with Sophia.

"What movie have you guys decided on?" He asked, sitting on the couch and propping his feet up on the coffee table in front of it.

"We want to watch Wreck it Ralph but, Peter wants to watch Toy Story!" Maria told him, moving to the seat on his right.

Rebecca moved next to her, dragging a blanket and laying it on the both of them.

"We watched Wreck it Ralph last week." Peter stated, from his spot on one of the arm chairs.

"Okay so decide on something other then Wreck it Ralph or Toy Story." Tony told them. "How about Hercules? Everybody loves Hercules."

"I'm okay with that." Maria responded, while nodding her head.

Rebecca and Peter nodded too, smiling.

"It's settled then." Bruce said, walking out with a bowl of popcorn in hand.

He placed it onto the table, away from Tony's feet and sat down on the left side of his husband.

"JARVIS put on Hercules." Tony said to the AI.

" _Excellent choice sir._ " JARVIS replied, putting on the movie.

"Thank you JARVIS!" Rebecca yelled towards the ceiling.

" _You're welcome_."

When the movie started and the kids were all focused on the opening number, singing along and laughing, Bruce leaned in towards Tony and whispered. "I'm sorry for snapping at you.."

He kept his eyes toward the screen, not wanting to look Tony in the eyes. If he looked him in the eyes then Tony would know something was wrong.

"It happens." Tony whispered back.

He adjusted the sleeping baby on his chest so she was on his right side and not near his surgical wound.

Bruce leaned his head onto Tony's shoulder and let his body relax. For the first time that week things seemed some-what normal.

"Are you sure everything's okay?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, I think I'm just a little run down is all. Sophia's teeth have been keeping her up and she only just started calming down a little."

"That's what I told Steve. He asked me earlier if you were doing all right and I told him you were tired."

Tony shifted so, he could get his arm around Bruce's shoulders. He brought his hand up towards Bruce's hair and gently started running his fingers through the curls.

"Tomorrow's Saturday so, you could sleep in." He told him.

Bruce hummed in response before mumbling "I think tomorrow will be a late start for everybody."

He stifled a yawn in his fist and allowed his eyes to close. 

About half way through the movie Tony turned to whisper an inappropriate comment about the movie and was met with the face of a sleeping Bruce.

Bruce's mouth was slightly agape and he was letting out deep breathes. It was the most relaxed Bruce had been in weeks.

Tony smiled at his husband before, turning back towards the screen. 

~•~

Tony woke up mid Saturday morning to the sight of a still sleeping Bruce.

Late the night before, after the movie, Tony woke Bruce up and brought him to bed. They both fell asleep before their heads could even reach the pillows.

Tony slowly got out of bed as to not wake up Bruce and made his way to the kitchen.

The kids were still sleeping, all of them staying up way past their bedtimes the night before.

It was already ten o'clock and the house was still silent, a first for the Stark household.

Tony sat down at the kitchen table and had JARVIS start a pot of coffee.

He pulled out his Stark phone and let himself mindlessly scroll through different emails and notifications, catching up on this weeks news and gossip.

There was always some sort of rumor being spread about him or any member of his family. Most of the time it was simple things he could let slide or something he could address at a press conference, this week was no different.

Pepper already had a press conference lined up for the end of next week for him to relay certain health information and to pit any rumors or concerns to rest.

Just as he was about to send a text out to Pepper about the conference, JARVIS' voice interrupted.

" _Sir, there is an incoming call coming from the home phone, shall I reroute it to the speakers?_ "

"No, reroute it to my cell."

" _Of coarse Sir._ "

Tony groaned and answered the call on his cellphone, expecting it to be a work related matter. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Mr. Stark?" The voice of an older women asked.

The person sounded familiar yet, Tony couldn't quite think of where he'd heard it before.

"Which one?"

"Either one will suffice."

"In that case,yes you are speaking to _Mr. Stark._ "

"Which one?"

Tony sighed, already getting aggravated by the conversation.

It was technically still morning and he still didn't have his coffee.

"This is Tony."

"Ah hello, Mr. Stark. This is Rebecca and Maria's teacher, Mrs. Johnson."

 _That's why it sounded familiar_.

"Is there a problem with the girls?"

"Yes actually there is. They have both been doing poorly in class recently and when I asked what was the matter they shared their concerns for there Papa." The teacher said, sounding somewhat disgusted on the last word.

"I think you mean their Dad and I'm fine now so there shouldn't be anymore issues."

"No I meant what I said. They are both concerned with Roberts well being."

"Bruce. He goes by Bruce."

" _Bruce's well being."_ She paused and sighed before continuing. "I know he had some certain issues back when I taught Peter and I just wanted to make sure that he is still in the right mental state for parenting."

"He's perfectly fine." Tony replied, attempting to hold his tongue.

"Well from what I've heard from the girls he's been agitated. Is Robert still on anger management pills?"

"I don't think my husband's personal matters are any of your business." Tony spat.

"No but, the children are. I personally believe two men aren't qualified to raise a child, that goes for Mr. Rogers and Barnes as well. If Robert is going back to his old tendencies without being properly medicated then that gives me all the more reason to inform child services."

"Listen here Johnson, you do not want to start a war with me because, I will win."

"Is that a threat Mr. Stark?"

"No, that's a promise." Tony told her. "You try to mess with my family and I'll make it so you'll never find another teaching gig in this country again. You'll have to ship your ass to Zimbabwe if you want a job that isn't flipping burgers."

Tony hung up the phone and sighed, placing it back onto the counter.

Just as he was about to finally get up and get a cup of coffee. The sounds of the baby echoed through out the kitchen from the speakers.

He got up and made the arduous feat that was climbing the stairs and walked into the nursery to see Bruce was already up with Sophia.

"Good morning." Bruce greeted whilst finishing changing the baby's diaper.

"We need to talk Bruce."

Bruce looked at him in confusion, picking up their now changed daughter. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell me."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I just got off the phone with the twins bitch of a teacher-"

"There are little ears in the room." Bruce reminded him.

"-and apparently the girls are concerned because, you've been agitated lately."

"Cranky is a better word for it."

Tony walked over to Bruce and grabbed Sophia, bringing her over to the play pen in the corner of the room.

He walked back over to Bruce and looked him in the eyes. "Is it something we should be concerned about?"

"No Tony, I'm not having anger management problems." Bruce said. "I was tired and the kids weren't listening, I was cranky. The girls probably aren't used to seeing me like that."

"You'll tell me if something's happening, right?"

Brice went quiet for a moment, trying to find the right words.

His body eventually made the decision for him because, he collapsed into Tony's chest, letting out a heart wrenching sob.

"I don't know what to do anymore.." He whispered, letting his tears dampen Tony's shirt.

Tony rubbed soothing circles into his back. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know what to do with myself anymore. I'm d-disgusting, I can't handle it."

"Oh no, this isn't about your weight, is it?"

Bruce started crying even harder, answering Tony's question wordlessly.

Tony pulled him closer, resting his chin on top of Bruce's head. "We've talked about this Bruce. There is nothing wrong with your weight. I'm not going to lie, you've gotten a little chunky but, that's what happens when you get older. Bruce the same things happening to me, you're not alone."

Tony gave Bruce a peck on the forehead before, continuing. "You are not by any means, overweight. You're just a little chunkier, completely healthy, if you don't believe me we can set up an appointment and ask the doctor."

"I believe you..." Bruce mumbled.

"Good. Your weight shouldn't even bother you, you could be on that reality show _My 600 Pound Life_ and I'd still find you sexy as hell. More cushion for the pushin'" Tony said, winking. "You're my husband Bruce and nothing's going to change the fact that I love very atom of you."

Tony lifted up Bruce's chin, giving him a long and tender kiss.

"Better?"

"A little." Bruce admitted.

"Good because, if I need to get you a therapist or something, I will. Just say the word."

"I think I can manage without one." Bruce replied, chuckling.

"I think you can too. You're not mentally ill, just scared."

Bruce nodded, resting his head back onto Tony's chest and allowing himself to smile a little st the warmth.

"Everything okay in here?" Peter asked, poking his head into the doorway.

"What your parents can't miss each other?" Tony replied sarcastically.

"You guys are weird." Peter laughed and shook his head.

"Well that makes you genetically half weird because, you came from me. You are heir of Stark Industries."

"Don't remind me."

Peter walked off, shaking his head.

"We should probably go downstairs and start breakfast. The girls will be up soon." Bruce said, nuzzling closer to Tony.

Tony wrapped his arms around Bruce's waist again and brought his head down to rest in the crook of Bruce's neck. "Yeah... We should."

The two stood there for a couple of more minutes, relishing each others company before Bruce pulled back and walked over to Sophia who was still playing with her toys.

He picked her up and balanced her on his hip before, walking towards the door.

"I'll start a bottle and you wake Becca and Maria up?" Bruce asked.

"Can do." Tony said. "Oh and Bruce?" 

"Yeah?"

"Remind me to speak to the school about the girls transferring teachers." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank yoiu all for reading! Sorry it's not my best work and it's a little fast paced! 
> 
> COMMENT QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, PROMPTS, OR REALLY ANYTHING!!!

**Author's Note:**

> So, I tried changing up my writing style. 
> 
> Also, I did a lot of research on Dads raising infants and apparently a lot of Dads gain around thirty pounds so that's why I had Bruce gain a couple of pounds and address his body confidence issues. 
> 
> I also wanted to add to Bruce's backstory and add to his character. 
> 
> The next chapter should be up soon! 
> 
> COMMENT ANY SUGGESTIONS OR PROMPTS YOU HAVE FOR THIS SERIES. I'D BE MORE THEN HAPPY TO HEAR THEM!


End file.
